At the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show, Nissan CEO and chairman Carlos Ghosn said the company will produce the e-NV200 (concept pictured above), an electric commercial van that he said is the second of four planned zero-emissions vehicles for the company.

It had already been announced that production for the van, which debuted as a concept at the 2013 Detroit auto show, was slated for a plant in Barcelona. Nissan is in the final testing stage for the e-NV200, which will go on sale in the 2014 calendar year. Also being tested is the e-NT400 (pictured at right), a much larger commercial van based on the Nissan Atlas in Japan.Nissan executive vice president Andy Palmer was emphatic that electric is a heavy part of the company’s road map.

“Electric and cars are as inevitable as taxes and death,” he said, saying that “connected, electric, and autonomous” are goals for Nissan.Asked about whether electric cars will ever be affordable for the public without incentives, Palmer said the company is relying on costs being reduced over time as more electric vehicles are produced. He also said government incentives, already being phased out in places, can’t be counted on. The Nissan Leaf saw a sizable price cut for the 2013 model year, when production was moved to the U.S.

“At some point, we will be able to be at a price equal to gasoline competitors,” he said.Toyota relied on the same cost-reduction-over-time formula when it bet heavily on its now-ubiquitous hybrid technology.

I'm happy to see that Mr. Ghosn hasn't fazed from his all out assault on electrifying their line-up. Granted the NV200 was somewhat forced to produce a hybrid for NYC, it'll be interesting to see how Nissan did with the EV version since the same pressure wasn't present.

This seems to be more of an evolution rather than a shift in regards to Carlos Ghosn's view of the ev market. With the electrification of trucking there is a potential for a profound rethinking of our distribution network and the cities will thank him. By moving the higher initial cost of the EV into a industry that spends hundreds of millions on fuel, repair, and downtime, I am confident that even at current technology, large scale price reduction can be possible.

I am happy that Nissan put up the 4 billion euros (5.32 billion USD) to get the Leaf off the ground, we in the automotive world, owe him a little gratitude.